Cheesesteaks: The Philly Special
Wit or wittout? It’s as simple as that. This week I’m showing you how to make cheesesteaks - Philadelphia’s famous food staple - from scratch. While this greasy recipe isn’t exactly made for heart patients, it’s certainly delicious and juicy. Let’s get started.
Ingredients
Cheesesteak Ingredients
1 thick cut ribeye steak
1 yellow onion
Salt & pepper to taste
Cheese Whiz Ingredients
1 lb (500 g) cheddar cheese
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp (8 g) kosher salt
1 tsp (8 g) ground black pepper
2 tsp (16 g) ground mustard seed
Italian Soft Rolls Ingredients
2 tsp (6 g) yeast
1 cup (236 ml) warm water
½ cup (118 ml) warm whole milk
2 tbsp( 31 g) sugar
4 cups (500 g) ap flour
2 tbsp (31g) salt
2 tbsp (31g) olive oil
How to make a Cheesesteak at Home
Italian Soft Rolls for Cheesesteaks Recipe:
First take 1 cup or 236 milliliters of warm water and add two teaspoons or six grams of dry yeast, 2 tablespoons or 31 grams of sugar, and half a cup or 118 milliliters of warm milk and mix them together so everyone gets to know each other.
Once mixed, let that rest for about 10 minutes so the yeast can bloom. You’ll know it’s ready when there’s a bubbly froth on the top.
Add all of our dry ingredients, which includes 4 cups of 500 grams of all purpose flour and 2 tablespoons or 31 grams of fine kosher salt.
Once the mixer is turned on pour in our bloomed yeast mixture slowly, then add 2 tablespoons or 31 grams of olive oil.
Let the dough mix for 8-10 minutes on low/medium speed
Take the dough out of the mixer and form it into a ball, place it into an oiled bowl, cover it with some plastic wrap, and then let it rest for at least one and a half hours in a warm environment.
Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and cut the dough ball into four equal pieces.
Shape the dough into a square and once shaped, roll the dough out until it's about half of an inch thick.
Once flattened, start rolling the dough back towards yourself and with each big roll, form a seam and continue to roll until it’s all done. Be sure to roll the entire thing once again with your hands from the middle to the edges to form a torpedo like shape.
Place the roll on to a baking sheet that’s been floured with semolina flour, or corn meal if you don’t have semolina, and cover it with a damp towel to let it rest for another 45 minutes for it’s final rise.
Once risen, place the rolls into a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit or 230 degrees Celsius.
Now here’s a little trick, while the oven is preheating, put a pan on the bottom rack. Once we put the rolls in the oven to bake, we’re going to take some ice cubes and place them into that same pan so we can create steam in the oven. This is going to help make a nice crust on the bread and ensure that we get a nice and soft texture on the inside.
Once ready the rolls out of the oven and let them rest on a wire rack for about a half an hour before we get ready to turn these bad boys into sandwiches.
Cheese Whiz for Cheesesteaks Recipe:
Start by chopping two blocks of mild cheddar cheese into smaller cubes which we’ll add into a saucepan over low heat.
Dump in 1 can of evaporated milk and then add in the spices which consist of a simple blend of equal parts fine kosher salt and fine ground black pepper, around 1 teaspoon of each.
Add in 2 teaspoons of ground mustard seed, whisk everything together and again dump it into the now starting to melt, cheese mixture.
Continue to stir until everything blends together until thickened and keep it heated until ready to use it on the cheesesteak later on. Be sure to stir every so often so it doesn’t end up burning or sticking to your saucepan.
Cheesesteak Recipe:
Chop up the onion to your desired thickness.
Heat the pan to medium heat and add some lard to the pan.
Dump the onions in, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned.
Once browned, remove the onions and place them into a bowl until we’re ready to add them back to the cheesesteak.
Grab the steak and cut it into thin slices, or as thin as you possibly can with a knife. Pro tip, if you put the meat in the freezer about an hour before slicing, it makes it much easier to get thinner slices.
Place a pan or skillet over medium/high heat, add in some lard, let it melt and then add in the sliced steak.
Cook until slightly browned.
Add some salt and pepper to taste and using two wooden spoons begin to pull the steak apart making smaller chunks out of what’s there.
Add the onions back in, and mix them together until the steak is fully cooked.
Take the pan off of the heat and slice the roll right down the middle.
In this order, spread the cheese whiz on the roll, add the steak and onions in, and for good measure, add some more cheese whiz on top.
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